In Jackson, Mississippi.  We stopped by after visiting Willie Morris in nearby Yazoo City.  Eudora Welty (1910 – 2001) was that fascinating combination of a very private person who was certainly not a recluse.  Although she lived by herself in the family home for years after her mother died, she traveled widely and loved entertaining friends.

Her house in the Fondren District of Jackson has been preserved as it was in 1990, when she was still an active author.  As you would expect for a master craftsman of the written word, her place is a treasure trove of books. She was an eclectic reader, and when her house was readied for public view, curators counted over 5000 of them.

Take the E. Fortification St. exit off I-55.

Although you could walk to downtown Jackson, her home is an oasis of tranquility, and her garden still provides inspiration for any artist. Oddly, her office faced a relatively busy cut-through street, but it let her type her manuscripts while listening to the the sounds carrying over from the music department at Belhaven College across the street.  It also let visitors see if she was in so they could ask for autographs.